Henry w



(No Model.)

H. W. BIRGE.

PROTECTOR FOR POSTAGE AND OTHER STAMPS; &c. ,No. 363,795. Patented May 31, 1887.

WITNEESES INVENTDR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY W. BIRGE, OF BOONTON, NEWV JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO JAMES A.

' SKILTON, TRUSTEE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

- PROTECTOR F.0R POSTAGE AND OTHER STAMPS, 84c.

iiPECIFI-CATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 363,795, dat y 1857- Application filed December 4, 1885. Serial No. 184,748. (No model.)

' To (ZZZ whom it may concern.-

adherent prematurely at any time when exposed to moisture, accidentally or unavoidably. Such annoyance, injury, and loss my inventiou is intended to prevent. For this purpose I employ thin sheets of metal, which are provided with a polished surface of nickel metal. This metal I have discovered has a quality which permits the gummcd surface of the stamp to adhere when moistened and then releases the same when again dried, and this without removing the gum from the back of the stamp, thereby leaving the stamp or sheets of stamps as useful as ever, even though this operation be several times repeated.

I employ either sheets of pure nickel of any given or required size, or sheets of copper, brass, steel, or iron, the surface or surfaces of which have been covered by a film or layer of nickel-plating. These sheets I prefer to have furnished with the nickel surface on both sides,

and the stamps or sheets of stamps may be placed on each side of the metal sheet, a number of such sheets being placed one on another in piles or layers. The gummed surfaces are to be placed against the nickel surfaces, the faces of the contiguous stamps or sheets of stamps being at the same time incontact, thus providing for two layers or sheets of stamps between every two sheets of metal. These piles, composed of alternate sheets of metal and stamps, may be left loose and be wrapped or tied up in any usual way for transportation, safe keeping, or storage.

The paper portion of stamps sometimes absorbs moisture from the atmosphere, and communicating the same to the gum adhesion to any ordinary article in contact occurs. Oceasionally water in considerable quantity finds access to the gum with similar results. So, when stamps are carried upon the person in warm weather, moisture is absorbed from the clothing which may be saturated with perspiration with the same results. I have discovered that when moisture in any manner reaches the stamps, the gummed surfaces 'of which are in contact with a nickel-metal surface, adhesion to the metal will take place Where the moistu re is sufficient to soften the gum. "When such adhesion occurs betwcen'the gummed surface and a nickel surface, however, the adhesion only continues so long as the moisture is present, and when it is dried out a natural, spon taneous, and inevitable cleavage occurs. In

other words, the nickel surface yields or gives up the gum completely without retaining any portion or removing any portion of it from the paper of the stamp. This of course'leaves the stamps as useful as ever, even after repeated action of the kind described, thereby furnishing complete protection under all such circumstances. 7 p

I do not find it necessary to apply oil or any other counteracting material to the metal sun. face, as the action described seems to be due to the nature of the metal itself, which is of a very fine or close texture, so much so as to even appear as though covered with a thin film of oil when in its natural state and perfectly clean.

- Of course the metal surface should be kept clean, as the gum may adhere to any foreign substance that may become attached thereto. For convenience and portability I make up books, files, or packages composed of the nickel-plated sheets, bound or held together so as to give mechanical protection to the stamps under any treatment or handling to which the same may be subjected.

YVhen only the loose sheets are used, they give some mechanical protection, as from rumpling or other mechanical injury, and also from attacks of moisture, since access can only be made at the edges of the sheets; but the packages, files, or books, which I will now describe, give still further protection in preventing or hindering this access of moisture by way of the edges of the metal sheets. They are IOC shown in the accompanying drawings, in

which similar letters refer to similar parts.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bound book composed of metal leaves. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a case for such a book. Fig. 3 is a partial sectional view of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a small book for the pocket, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a case for the book shown in Fig. 4.

L L are the sheets of metal composing the leaves of the book. H H are holes made in these leaves so as to coincide, and large enough to receive spiral springs S S.

B is a yielding or elastic backing for the book, which is secured or held in place by strips PP of metal or othersuitable material. To or in these strips P P the ends of the spiral springs S S are secured in any usual way, and with sufficient firmness to hold the parts together, as in the case of any ordinary book, only the function of the springs in this case is, in addition, to allow sufficient separation of each leaf, away from each contiguous leaf, to permit the insertion of the two sheets or layers of stamps, as previously described, and also to draw said sheets of metal together again automatically when the stamps are removed.

0 is a case made to receive the book B, and

.is provided with a flap, F, and buckle E, for securing the same, as well as with handles A and strap D, for convenience of lifting or carrying.

Fig. 4 shows a book, B suitable for pocket use, which may be bound in the mannershown in Figs. 1 and 3; or the back edges of the metal sheets may be provided with folds of metal forming hinge-eyes for the insertion ofa wire which will retain the sheets in position like the leaves of a book. fewsay from two -to five in nnmber- -this method will be found suitable. This book is provided with a clasp, G, for securing the edges together at the front.

Fig. 5 shows aconvenient case for the book B which will aid in repelling moisture under ordinary exposures.

The edges of the sheets L L are preferably beaded, or folded over in any ordinary way, by turning the raw cut edges of the metal over upon the sheet or page of metal. This makes Where the leaves area finish, prevents danger of cutting the fingers by contact, and when slightly raised gives space for the layers of stamps between the leaves L L.

In order to make these books as light and to give them as little bulk as possible, I prefer to make use of sheets of metal rolled to the dimension of four thousand to the inch, and I have found such sheets to give satisfactory service; but sheets of greater thickness may be employed without avoiding my invention.

The books-may be made large enough to receive and protect full-sized, sheets of stamps, and of any required number of sheets or pages; or they may be made small enough to carry any limited number of stamps desired.

Other metal surfaces have a tendency to oxidize and allow the stamps thereby to adhere. This does not occur where nickel is used. I find, however, that German silver and other alloys of nickel have to some extent the quality of protecting stamps, as described, but much in the varying degree in which nickel is a component part, and to that extent in an equivalent manner. Therefore I do not limit my invention to the case where a pure nickel surface is used, although I prefer to use such a surface.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. Theimprovement in the art of protecting postage-stamps and other like articles, consisting in placing the same between sheets of metal with the gummed surface of the same in CO11 tact with a metallic surface of nickel.

2. In a stamp-protecting device, metal sheets with nickel surfaces for receiving the contact of the gummed surface of the stamp.

3. In a stampprotector, a series of metal leaves provided with nickel surfaces, secured by the springs S S, or their equivalents, all in combination.

4. In a stampprotector, a series of metal leaves provided with nickel surfaces, in combination with an inclosingcase, substantially as and for the purposes described.

HENRY W. BIRG E.

\Vi tnesses:

WM. H. BUTTERWORTH, JAMES A. SKILTON. 

